Reflections – A photographer's journey about blogging stories

It’s the little things that count….

A very popular saying that has been used in many context to help others understand the importance of the little things in life. Usually, the little positive things. Over time, they add up to be a big deal. What of the not so positive little things?

It is a well know fact that habits take time to build. They are the accumulation of repeated practices. The best way to be overweight is to get really good at burning less calories than you take in. The best way to become a professional couch sitter, you have to invest a lot of time sitting on the couch over long periods of time. Then, you’re so good at it, doing anything else feels wrong.

The other side of the coin is the same way, the little practice you do on a regular basis to be kind to people does add up and eventually makes you such a well known kind person. The politeness comes easy and is perceived as genuine. Saying “I love you” to your loved ones becomes natural and sincere because it comes from the heart easily and frequently. You get good at expressions of your heart

Same goes with any skills sets you want to develope. I’ve been asked.. How do I get to take great photos. The simple answer, keep shooting photos and learning from each. Try different things. Work on the craft. See what others do. Ask, try, practice. In time, you get really good at taking photos. I’m now working on a similar approach for blogging… so I can eventually have a great place people come to enjoy good content.

Now, let’s just break one thing down very seriously. Passively and mindlessly taking photos will not get you good. It will get you a ton of photos. That’s all. Actively being mindful as you take photos at every opportunity is where you get better. You’re always looking to improve your work. Always studying where the light is, where the angles are, how the composition is set, and what are others saying of your photos.

By actively being present in what you do, no matter how little, you can steadily improve. One example, I remember taking a ton of pics of a peanut butter jar.

What?!?!

Yes.

One jar.

Took several photos over the course of a few days. I was looking at how the lights around the house affected the photo. Meaning, I kept the jar in one place, took photos at different times of the day. I took notes of what the light looked like. That helped me understand the impact of light on a subject. I can’t ask a person so sit for a day for me, but I can ask a jar to sit still lol.

That practice added a lot of value to me. It was a very little thing to do. but it cut my learning cost drastically. Now, I don’t have to practice with a person at cost, but instead, I can learn how a photo is affected by various lighting such as the sun, interior lights, the moon, and lack of lighting. Later, I’d play with the camera settings in each of the light settings to understand how those impacted the resulting photo.. but that can be another post some day.

It is truly the little things that make a huge difference. They compound over time and have a huge effect. Today, whatever you have going on, look at all the little things that count. Then, slowly tweak them. Because in the end, it is really the little things that do count just as much as the big this.